About

$33,452

pledged of $30,000 goal

371

backers

/// UPDATE as of May 12, 2014 at 9am PST ///

1100+ shares and 340+ backers. We are speechless. Boba Guys Labs #FightThePowder #DoTheRightThing is now one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever in the our local food category. Thank you!

If you are new to this page, please note our earlier announcement about the tote. If you pledge $100 or more, you will receive a FREE screen-printed tote as a small bonus token of our appreciation.

Thank YOU!

/// UPDATE as of May 5, 2014 at 12pm PST ///

We now have over 250 backers and over 1000 Facebook shares, making our Kickstarter one of the most successful campaigns in our category. We still need a big push at the end since the campaign doesn't kick in until it's fully funded.

There are eight days left but we wanted to show our gratitude now...

If you pledged $100 or more, you will get a FREE screen-printed American Apparel poly-cotton tote bag ($25 Value). Union Square and the Mission are two of the city's best shopping districts, so we hope this will serve you well when you peruse the nifty shops in our neighborhoods. Again, thank you SO much for your support. We hope you enjoy the rewards!

---To stay up-to-date with our campaign, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Tell all your friends and have them tell all their friends! And if you are press or have a blog, we've prepared a helpful Press Kit zip file of our graphics and rewards so you can help spread the word about us: http://www.bobaguys.com/s/bobaguys_presskit.zip ( Warm fuzzies to you!)---

Hello!

Our Kickstarter campaign is about building Boba Guys Labs, a place where we can continue making our products in-house, experiment with new ideas, and build lasting community. It's the boba revolution!

Our mission is to change the way people think about boba and tea. We chase this dream through three core values: quality, transparency, and giving a damn.

You may know our story from our Mission store, alcoholic boba launch, or GOOD magazine and HuffPo columns. We are fueled by one quote, "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." Boba Guys Labs is our way of combining transparency with our pursuit of excellence.

As a pop-up, we were known to test our newest creations in public. At Boba Guys Labs, it will be a regular event. It is where we hope to invent new boba staples, like our horchata boba. And since it's in Union Square, we will share our passion with people from all around the world... many of whom are trying boba for the very first time. Simply put, you can expect the same great Grade A balls from our Union Square location, but with a larger menu and dedicated place for experimentation. Scroll down for more details and pics of the Labs!

If you're looking for the Kickstarter rewards summary, scroll to the bottom. We have great rewards... even for out-of-towners!

If you're a newbie, hello! Nice to meet you! We are the Boba Guys and we are known for disrupting the boba tea industry. =) There are lots of great boba and tea shops across the US, but we are different in three ways:

#1: Break from the Status Quo

Ever since our first day as a pop-up shop, we have turned heads with our transparency and commitment to quality. Artificial flavors and shortcuts became Public Enemy #1. We don't use powders and always strive to do the right thing. (You know we had to get a Do the Right Thing reference in!)

We proudly serve the world's highest-quality boba milk tea. We source, brew, and sell premium loose leaf teas from reputable tea farms/plantations and suppliers. We make our own traditional Taiwanese syrup. And best of all, we use Straus Family organic milk.

Lastly, we don't listen to the naysayers-- we respect tradition and honor our families' sacrifices, but we care more about bridging cultures rather than creating a divide.

Look for our #FightThePowder and #DoTheRightThing hashtags!

#2: New School Boba Flavors

We are also known for our original drink creations. Because we make almost everything in-house, we have complete control over our flavor combinations. Aside from our housemade Horchata, we are known for our Pumpkin Chai, Chamomile Mint, Muscat Oolong, Cold-Brewed Coffee Milk Tea, and from-scratch almond jelly.

Our trailblazing flavors are not limited to drinks. We carry a unique line of toasts with housemade spreads, like our Condensed Milk Buttercream Hong Kong Toast and Homemade Kaya Toast. Let's just say we can't wait to expand our menu in our new store! #bobarevolution

#3: Clean, Transparent Design

Our Union Square/Boba Guys Labs store design is a reflection of our core values. Like our first store, we intentionally chose a transparent layout and glass fixtures, so the public can see exactly what goes into every drink.

Every bobarista (what we call our fabulous team) assembles the drink in real-time, so your drink is as fresh as possible. We are the highest-quality boba milk tea in the world... we couldn't do it any other way!

The Kickstarter Campaign (Boba Guys Labs)

This Kickstarter will fund our Boba Guys Labs space in the back of our new Union Square location. Here, we will continue to chase our dream of sharing our boba milk tea experience with the world.

Here is a look at the Union Square store concept.

Before

After

The Closer Look at the "Lab"

The lab is a secret room (not anymore!) where we formulate new drinks and host intimate events like "Boba Tea Flights" or "Coffee Jelly Spherification 101."

We could have built our lab anywhere in the Bay Area (and with much cheaper real estate), but we wanted this space accessible for the public. We hope people have a deep, visceral connection with boba and tea. Some say a new age of tea is coming (let's not call it "Third Wave Tea")... we hope our dedication to the craft of boba milk tea helps make it happen.

Stretch Goals

Before we get to our awesome perks, we do have some stretch goals that would make our wildest dreams come true.

If we raise $40,000, we will purchase equipment that we cut due to our budget (we're completely self-funded). For starters, we want to bring over an authentic Taiwanese shave ice machine. There are also numerous Asian street food machines that we want to bring over.

If we raise $50,000, we will build a street-side counter and upgrade our awning. It will take people-watching in Union Square to a whole new level!

Now, we can get to the exciting part... the perks. We hope you like them. We tried our best to make them one-of-a-kind!

Awesome Rewards

Risks and challenges

San Francisco is one of the greatest cities in the world to conduct business in and be part of-- however, building codes, permit, and inspection process can be a bit of Byzantine labyrinth. Delays in opening can happen because of unforeseen steps taken by the local government including managing protests filed by the members of community, although the neighborhood loves us so far! The good news is that this isn't our first rodeo, we've learned a lot since building our first store!

This project has been designed within the guidelines and regulations of the City and the County of San Francisco. We are fully confident in our team of professionals to navigate through all necessary measures.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

TEA PEOPLE TEA SUBSCRIPTION: (1) the inaugural annual subscription of Tea People loose leaf tea. One 2 oz bag for twelve months. Carefully selected from the best tea-growing regions in the world. ($120 Value)